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Review
. 2024 Nov 18:14:1493532.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1493532. eCollection 2024.

The treasured giants: a current overview on agricultural, nutritional, bioactive, and economic potential of Macrocybe Species (Agaricales, Basidiomycota)

Thivanka M Peiris  1   2 , Menasha Perera  1   2 , Helani H Munasinghe  1   3 , Kasun M Thambugala  1   4 , Buddhika P Dharmasena  1   5 , Piyawan Suttiprapan  6   7 , Ratchadawan Cheewangkoon  6   7
Affiliations
Review

The treasured giants: a current overview on agricultural, nutritional, bioactive, and economic potential of Macrocybe Species (Agaricales, Basidiomycota)

Thivanka M Peiris et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. .

Abstract

Macrocybe is a well-studied genus in the family Callistosporiaceae (Basidiomycota). Currently, the genus comprises eight species with worldwide distribution. All species in this genus are relatively large compared to other edible mushrooms and are commonly consumed by locals. Cultivation methodologies have been developed for several species of the genus, including M. gigantea, M. crassa, M. titans, and M. lobayensis. These mushrooms can be cultivated in lignocellulosic wastes such as sawdust, straw, and other agro-industrial wastes. The nutritional compositions have been identified for M. gigantea, M. crassa, and M. lobayensis, revealing that they are rich in fibers, proteins, and various vitamins. Although these mushrooms are of culinary significance, precautions should be taken when consuming them due to their potential cyanic toxicity. In addition to being rich in different nutrients, Macrocybe species possess medicinal properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and several other beneficial effects. Several species are commercially available in countries like China and Thailand, and the commercial potential is high due to the large size, taste, and long shelf life of these mushrooms. There is significant potential for cultivating species of this genus and introducing their artificial cultivation practices to various counties worldwide. Diverse value-added products can also be produced using Macrocybe species.

Keywords: Macrocybe species distribution; commercial cultivation; diversity; edible mushrooms; nutrient composition; secondary metabolites.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Macrocybe titans (Capture credit - Logan Wiedenfeld), (B) M. crassa (Capture credit - Vihane), (C) M. praegrandis (Capture credit - Thomas TS), (D) M. gigantea.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Worldwide geographical distribution of the Macrocybe species (Map source - https://www.mapchart.net/).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The commonly applied pipeline for cultivation of Macrocybe spp. (Designed using Inkscape v1.1).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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